The Meaning of Luke 20:22 Explained

Luke 20:22

KJV: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no?

YLT: Is it lawful to us to give tribute to Caesar or not?'

Darby: Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?

ASV: Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Is it lawful  for us  to give  tribute  unto Caesar,  or  no? 

What does Luke 20:22 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 20:19-26 - Tribute To Caesar And To God
Fearing to touch Him themselves, and finding no foothold against Him according to the Mosaic law, His enemies sought to bring Christ into collision with the civil power. To do this, no hypocrisy was too mean.
So poor was our Lord that He must needs ask them to furnish the penny or drachma. Caesar has a certain claim on us. He has earned certain rights of homage and tribute by preserving the good order of society and the safety of our persons; but there his authority ends. When he intrudes into the realm of conscience, he is a usurper. In that kingdom he has no claims whatever.
We must give Caesar his dues. They can be paid in the coin of earth's mintage; but he has no claim on our conscience, faith, love. These bear the mint-mark of God, and to God they must be rendered. Ah, soul! Thou belongest to the great King; thou art stamped with His image and superscription! Give Him thyself! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 20

1  Jesus confirms his authority by a question of John's baptism
9  The parable of the vineyard
19  Of giving tribute to Caesar
27  He instructs the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection
41  How Jesus is the Son of David
45  He warns his disciples to beware of the scribes

Greek Commentary for Luke 20:22

Tribute [πορον]
Old word for the annual tax on land, houses, etc. Mark and Matthew have κηνσον — kēnson The picture on the coin may have been that of Tiberius. [source]
Tribute [φόρον]
From φέρω , to bring. Something, therefore, which is brought in by way of payment. Luke uses the Greek word instead of the Latin κῆνσον , censusin Matthew and Mark. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 20:22

Romans 13:6 Tribute [πορους]
Old word from περω — pherō to bring, especially the annual tax on lands, etc. (Luke 20:22; Luke 23:1). Paying taxes recognizes authority over us. Ministers of God‘s service (λειτουργοι τεου — leitourgoi theou). Late word for public servant (unused λειτος — leitos from Attic λεως — leōs people, and εργω — ergō to work). Often used of military servants, servants of the king, and temple servants (Hebrews 8:2). Paul uses it also of himself as Christ‘s λειτουργος — leitourgos (Romans 15:16) and of Epaphroditus as a minister to him (Philemon 2:25). See τεου διακονος — theou diakonos in Romans 13:4. Attending continually Present active participle of the late verb προσκαρτερεω — proskartereō (προς — pros and καρτερεω — kartereō from καρτος — kartos or κρατος — kratos strength) to persevere. See note on Acts 2:42 and note on Acts 8:13. [source]
Romans 13:7 To whom tribute is due [τωι τον πορον]
We must supply a participle with the article τωι — tōi like απαιτουντι — apaitounti (“to the one asking tribute”). So with the other words (to whom custom, τωι το τελος απαιτουντι — tōi to telos apaitounti to whom fear, τωι τον ποβον απαιτουντι — tōi ton phobon apaitounti to whom honour, τωι την τιμην απαιτουντι — tōi tēn timēn apaitounti). Πορος — Phoros is the tribute paid to a subject nation (Luke 20:22), while τελος — telos is tax for support of civil government (Matthew 17:25). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 20:22 mean?

Is it lawful for us to Caesar tribute to give or not
ἔξεστιν ἡμᾶς Καίσαρι φόρον δοῦναι οὔ

ἔξεστιν  Is  it  lawful 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἔξεστι 
Sense: it is lawful.
ἡμᾶς  for  us 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Plural
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
Καίσαρι  to  Caesar 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: Καῖσαρ  
Sense: the surname of Julius Caesar, which adopted by Octavius Augustus and his successors afterwards became a title, and was appropriated by the Roman emperors as part of their title.
φόρον  tribute 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: φόρος  
Sense: tribute, esp.
δοῦναι  to  give 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.